Techniques and systems for electronic submission of media for network-based distribution

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for submitting media to a media distribution site are disclosed. The submission of media to the media distribution site is able to be performed by numerous submitters in a uniform and computer-assisted manner. The submitted media can then be encoded in a largely automated manner at the media distribution site into a suitable digital form and then made available for online purchase and distribution.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/609,815, filed Dec. 12, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,844,548, andentitled “TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF MEDIA FORNETWORK-BASED DISTRIBUTION”, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference, which in turn is a Continuation-In-Pa of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/687,534, filed Oct. 15, 2003, and entitled“METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUBMITTING MEDIA FOR NETWORK-BASED PURCHASE ANDDISTRIBUTION”, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

This application, by way of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/609,815,also claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/800,843, filed May 15, 2006, and entitled “TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS FORELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF MEDIA CONTENT”, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electronic transmission of media and,more particularly, to electronic submission of media for purposes ofmedia purchase and distribution.

2. Description of the Related Art

Traditionally, music has been purchased at music stores or musicdepartments of larger stores. A consumer will visit the music store ordepartment and manually browse for albums or compact discs (CDs) ofinterest. Often, the music in the music store or department iscategorized by genre, and then indexed by artist. For example, genre caninclude rock, country, pop, soul, jazz, etc. After the consumer selectsan album or CD of interest, the consumer proceeds to a check-outregister to pay for the album or CD being purchased.

In recent years, music delivery or distribution over the Internet hasbecome popular. Due to the advances in efficient file formats, such asMP3 and MPEG4, the size of media files have become small enough to maketheir download via the Internet practical. Also, technological advanceshave led to higher-speed Internet connections and lower cost of memory.The combination of these advances make downloading media files, such asfor music and videos, manageable and not too time consuming.

Today, various online media hosting sites permit virtual visitors topurchase and download albums or songs via the Internet (e.g., World WideWeb). However, in order for the albums or songs to be offered forpurchase and download, the electronic content for the albums or songsmust first be provided to the media hosting sites. Conventionally, amusic label desirous of selling audio productions of their songs onlinewould produce a tape or CD and then physically mail the tape or CD to arepresentative for the media hosting site. Typically, a submission wouldinclude not only the audio productions of songs but also text and imagesassociated with the songs. The text provides descriptive information(e.g., metadata) for the songs and the images pertain to associatedartwork (e.g., cover art). More recently, music labels haveelectronically transmitted the audio production of their songs to arepresentative of the media hosting site. Unfortunately, there arevarious different means and formats by which various music labels submittheir audio productions of songs and associated data. This problem isexacerbated by the large number of small music labels that makesubmissions. As a result, representatives of the media hosting site thatreceive the submissions face substantial burdens and difficulties due tothe wide range of variation with respect to the submissions.

Thus, there is a need for improved approaches to submit media to anonline media hosting site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Broadly speaking, the invention relates to an improved system and methodfor submitting media to a media distribution site. The submission ofmedia to the media distribution site is able to be performed by numeroussubmitters in a uniform and computer-assisted manner. The submittedmedia can then be processed in a largely automated manner at the mediadistribution site and then made available for online purchase anddistribution.

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as amethod, system, device, apparatus, graphical user interface, or computerreadable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussedbelow.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media submission and distribution system100 according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a media submission process according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are flow diagrams of a media submission processaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4A is a screenshot of a representative media collection informationwindow according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4B is a screenshot of a representative import window according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4C is a screenshot of a representative media content informationwindow according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of a representative folder send window accordingto one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a media reception process according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot of a representative text file in a markuplanguage format according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A-8C are flow diagrams of a media collection informationacquisition process according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 9A-9K are representative screen shots that can be produced by amedia submission program.

FIG. 10 illustrates a representative import window according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 11A-11C are flow diagrams of a media content informationacquisition process according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are representative screen shots that can be producedby a media submission program.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of a representative media package that has beenprepared for submission according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 is another representative screen shot that can be produced by amedia submission program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an improved system and method for submittingmedia to a media distribution site. The submission of media to the mediadistribution site is able to be performed by numerous submitters in auniform and computer-assisted manner. The submitted media can then beprocessed in a largely automated manner at the media distribution siteand then made available for online purchase and distribution. The mediadistribution site can also be referred to as an online media hostingsite.

The invention pertains to a method and system for controlled submissionof media in a client-server environment. The controlled submission canuse encryption and user accounts to restrict unauthorized access. Themedia can, for example, be audio, video, or image data.

Embodiments of various aspects of the invention are discussed below withreference to FIGS. 1-14. However, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect tothese figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extendsbeyond these limited embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media submission and distribution system100 according to one embodiment of the invention. The media submissionand distribution system 100 includes a media distribution site 102. Themedia distribution site 102 coordinates submission (receipt), storageand purchase of media items. The media distribution site 102 storesmedia items in a media store 103. In one embodiment, the media store 103is a database. The media store 103 provides mass storage of the numerousmedia items that are available for purchase. Once purchased, the mediaitems can be accessed from the media store 103 over a data network 106by way of the media distribution site 102.

The media submission and distribution system 100 also includes a firstclient 104 and a second client 105. Typically, the media submission anddistribution system 100 would include a plurality of different clients104, 105. The first client 104 includes a media management/player 108.The second client 105 includes a media submission program 110. Someclients can also include both the media management/player 108 and themedia submission program 110. The media management/player 108 is anapplication program (e.g., software application) that operates on thefirst client 104, which is a computing device. One example of a suitablemedia management/player 108 is iTunes™ offered by Apple Computer, Inc.The first client 104 is coupled to the media distribution site 102through the data network 106. Hence, any of the first clients 104 caninteract with the media distribution site 102 to review, purchase and/ormanage media items.

The media submission program 110 is also an application program (e.g.,software application) that operates on the second client 105, which is acomputing device. The media submission program 110 is used to submitmedia items to the media distribution site 102. Although the mediamanagement/player 108 and the media submission program 110 are shown inFIG. 1 as separate programs, it should be understood that such programscan be integrated into a single program or reside on the same secondclient.

In the media submission and distribution system 100 shown in FIG. 1, themedia items are submitted to the media distribution site 102 by way ofthe media submission program 110. The media items that have beensubmitted (e.g., via the second client 105) are processed and thenstored in the media store 103. Thereafter, the stored media items areavailable to be purchased from the media distribution site 102. Uponpurchasing a particular media item, the media distribution site 102permits the media content for the particular media item to be retrievedfrom the media store 103 and then delivered (e.g., downloaded) from themedia distribution site 102 to the corresponding client 104 through thedata network 106. In this regard, the media distribution site 102obtains the media content corresponding to the particular media itemfrom the media store 103 and downloads such content through the datanetwork 106 to the client 104. The downloaded media content can then bestored on the client 104. In one embodiment, the downloaded mediacontent is encrypted as received at the client 104 but is decrypted andthen perhaps re-encrypted before persistent storage on the client 104.Thereafter, the media management/player 108 can present (e.g., play) themedia content at the client 104.

The media submission and distribution system 100 allows a user of theclient 104 to utilize the media player 108 to browse, search or sortthrough a plurality of media items that can be purchased from the mediadistribution site 102. The media management/player 108 may also allowthe user to preview a media clip of the media items. In the event thatthe user of the media management/player 108 desires to purchase aparticular media item, the user (via the media management/player 108)and the media distribution site 102 can engage in an online commercetransaction in which the user pays for access rights to the particularmedia item. In one embodiment, a credit card associated with the user iscredited for the purchase amount of the particular media item.

The submission and purchase of the media items can be achieved over adata network 106. In other words, the submission and purchase of themedia items can be achieved online. The purchase of media items onlinecan also be referred to as electronic commerce (e-commerce). In oneembodiment, the data network 106 includes at least a portion of theInternet. The clients 104 can vary with application but generally arecomputing devices that have memory storage. Often, the clients 104 arepersonal computers or other computing devices that are capable ofstoring and presenting media to their users.

The connections through the data network 106 between the mediadistribution server 102 and the clients 104, 105 can be through secureconnections, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Further, the mediacontent can be re-encrypted prior to storage at the client 104 such thatdownloaded media content is not stored in the clear, but is insteadstored in an encrypted manner.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a media submission process 200 according toone embodiment of the invention. The media submission process 200 istypically performed by a client machine, such as the client 105illustrated in FIG. 1. More particularly, the media submission program110 at the client 105 illustrated in FIG. 1 can perform the mediasubmission process 200.

The media submission process 200 begins with a decision 202 thatdetermines whether a media collection is to be arranged for submissionfrom a client machine to a server machine (e.g., media distributionsite). When the decision 202 determines that a media collection is notto be arranged for submission at this time, then the media submissionprocess 200 awaits a request to arrange a media collection. In otherwords, the media submission process 200 can be invoked whenever arequest to arrange a media collection is received. Typically, a user ofthe client machine would interact with the client machine (e.g., themedia submission program 110) to initiate a request to arrange a mediacollection.

In any case, once the decision 202 determines that a media collection isto be arranged, media content for a plurality of media items areidentified. The identified media content for the media items is to beincluded within the media collection being arranged. Typically, themedia content for these media items is retrieved from one or more mediasources. Examples of media sources are compact discs (CDs) or mediafiles. After the media content has been identified 204, the mediacontent for each of the media items is converted 206 into an encodedformat. Here, in the case of compact discs, the stored data is in aformat that is not suitable for transmission over networks. Hence,typically, the format of the media content from compact disc isconverted into an encoded format that is suitable for transmissionthrough networks. Examples of encoded formats for audio files includeAdvanced Audio Coding (AAC), Apple Lossless, MPEG (e.g., MPEG4), MP3 andM4 files. In many cases, the encoding formats provide compression sothat transmission is efficient. The compression can be lossy orlossless.

Next, metadata pertaining to the media items is obtained 208. In oneembodiment, the metadata for the media items includes descriptiveinformation regarding the media items. The metadata is, in oneembodiment, provided by a user through interaction with the clientmachine (e.g., the media submission program 110).

Thereafter, an electronic package is formed 210 for the mediacollection. The electronic package is, for example, an electronic folderthat includes a plurality of files. The plurality of files within theelectronic folder include a file for the media content (in itscompressed format) for each of the media items, folder metadata, andpossibly other files. Here, the folder metadata can include not only themetadata for the media items, but also other metadata pertaining to themedia collection and/or the organization of the electronic folder andcomponents within the electronic folder. An example of one type of otherfile would be a file of an image that is to be associated with the mediacollection. The image, for example, can pertain to artwork to beutilized in association with the media collection. An example of anothertype of other file would be a file containing liner notes to beassociated with the media collection. After the electronic package hasbeen formed 210, the electronic package can be transmitted 212 to amedia distribution site (e.g., server) for online purchase anddistribution. The transmission 212 of the electronic package to themedia distribution site concludes the media submission process 200.

Advantageously, the electronic packages being formed and transmitted toa media distribution site can have a standard format and arrangement. Asa result, the media distribution site is able to process the incomingelectronic packages in an automated manner.

Many users of the media submission process 200 can be affiliated withsmall recording labels or artists that desire to submit their mediacollections to media distribution sites so that such media collectionscan be offered for purchase at the media distribution sites. Thestandardization and uniformity provided by the media submission process200 significantly reduces the burdens and difficulties otherwise placedon the media distribution sites.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are flow diagrams of a media submission process 300according to another embodiment of the invention. The media submissionprocess 300 is typically performed by a client machine, such as theclient 105 illustrated in FIG. 1. More particularly, the mediasubmission program 110 at the client 105 illustrated in FIG. 1 canperform the media submission process 300.

The media submission process 300 initially displays 302 a mediacollection information window. Then, media collection information thathas been entered into the media collection information window can bereceived 304. Here, the media submission process 300 receives 304 themedia collection information that is entered into media collectioninformation window by a user of the client machine (e.g., user of themedia submission program 110). A representative media collectioninformation window according to one embodiment of the invention isdiscussed below with reference to FIG. 4A.

Next, media content for media items to be provided within the mediacollection is identified 306. The media content being identified 306represents that portion of the available media content from one or moremedia sources that is to be provided within the media collection.Examples of media sources are compact discs (CDs) or media files. In oneimplementation, to assist a user with the identification 306 of themedia content for the media items, an import window can be displayed.The import window would assist the user with the identification of mediaitems/media content to be included within the media collection. Arepresentative import window according to one embodiment of theinvention is discussed below with reference to FIG. 4B.

After the media content has been identified 306, the identified mediacontent is converted 308 into an encoded media format. Here, theconversion 308 can be considered to encode the media content from amedia source into a digital format suitable for electronic transmissionand playing (such as MP3, M4, AAC, etc.). Encoding, in this context,refers to the process by which traditional forms of audio (e.g., compactdisc) and video (e.g., VHS) are converted into a digital format thatallows their distribution and broadcast over a network (e.g., theInternet).

Next, a media content information window is displayed 310. The mediacontent information window assists the user to provide media contentinformation regarding one or more of the media items. After the mediacontent information window is displayed 310, media content informationthat has been entered into the media content information window isreceived 312. Here, the media submission process 300 receives 312 themedia content information that is entered into media content informationwindow by the user of the client machine (e.g., user of the mediasubmission program 110). A representative media content informationwindow according to one embodiment of the invention is discussed belowwith reference to FIG. 4C.

After the media content information that has been entered into the mediacontent information window has been received 312, an electronic folderfor the media collection is formed 314. The electronic folder includes aplurality of different files, typically some of which are different datatypes. For example, the media content for each media item within themedia collection is provided as a digital media file (e.g., MPEG4format), and the media collection information and the media contentinformation are provided within a text file (e.g., markup language file,such as an XML file). The text file can also provide a description ofthe electronic folder that specifies the media and other files withinthe electronic folder as well as the media collection information andthe media content information. If the text file identifies artwork forthe media collection or the media items, then the text file specifies animage file (e.g., JPEG format) provided within the electronic folderthat contains the artwork image.

Next, a folder send window is displayed 316. The folder send windowassists the user in providing user indicia prior to submission of themedia collection to the media distribution site. In one implementation,the user indicia is an account identifier and a password. Arepresentative folder send window according to one embodiment of theinvention is discussed below with reference to FIG. 5.

After the user indicia has been provided via the folder send window, adecision 318 determines whether the electronic folder is to be sent(i.e., submitted) at this time. Here, the user can decide whether theelectronic folder should be submitted at this time. For example, theuser can choose whether the electronic folder should be submitted atthis time using the folder send window.

When the decision 318 determines that the electronic folder should notbe submitted at this time, then the electronic folder is placed 320 in asend queue. Once placed in the send queue, the electronic folder isstored at the client machine until such time as the electronic folder iseventually sent. On the other hand, when the decision 318 determinesthat the electronic folder should be sent, then the electronic folder istransmitted 322 to the media distribution site. Additionally, if othermedia collections were earlier queued by the media submission process300, then any previously queued folders could also be sent to the mediadistribution site. Following the blocks 320 or 322, the media submissionprocess 300 is complete and ends.

FIG. 4A is a screenshot of a representative media collection informationwindow 400 according to one embodiment of the invention. A user caninteract with the media collection information window 400 to enter themedia collection information. Using the media collection informationwindow 400, media collection information, such as title, title kind(e.g., live, remix, etc.), artist, genre, label (i.e., music label),copyright, SKU, UPC, release date, sale start date, original releaseyear, parental advisory, recording location, liner notes, and cover art,can be provided. As shown in FIG. 4A, the media collection informationwindow 400 has several fields completed which contain media collectioninformation.

FIG. 4B is a screenshot of a representative import window 450 accordingto one embodiment of the invention. The import window assists a userwith importing media items from media sources. Here, for the mediacollection “Playlist No. 1 Title”, eight (8) media items (i.e., tracks)have been designated for import from import sources denoted “CD” or“Files.” The media collection is referred to as a playlist.

FIG. 4C is a screenshot of a representative media content informationwindow 470 according to one embodiment of the invention. Therepresentative media content information window 470 displays the mediaitems in an upper area 472 and provides a lower area 474 for a user toenter the media content information pertaining to specific ones of themedia items. The media items (i.e., tracks) shown in the upper region472 correspond to the media items that were imported (see FIG. 4B). Uponselecting one of the media items in the upper area, the media contentinformation to be associated with such media item can then be entered inthe lower area 474 which provides text entry fields. As shown in FIG.4C, the media content information for a particular media item caninclude such information as: title, title kind, artist, genres, tracknumber, preview start, disk number, BPM, label name, copyright, ISRC,SKU, availability for sale indicator, parental advisory, recordinglocation, and lyrics.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of a representative folder send window 500according to one embodiment of the invention. The folder send window 500allows the user to identify the provider of the media collection (suchas the name or producer of the music label), the account identifierassociated with the provider (user), and a password. Additionally, thefolder send window 500 enables the user to either submit the mediacollection (e.g., playlist) that has been assembled to the mediadistribution site 102 by a “Send” button 502, or to defer submission byan “Add to Queue” button 504.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a media reception process 600 according toone embodiment of the invention. The media reception process 600 istypically performed by a server machine, namely, a media distributionsite, such as the media distribution site 102 illustrated in FIG. 1.

The media reception process 600 initially receives 602 an electronicpackage submission. As previously noted, the electronic packagesubmission would be received 602 at a media distribution site (e.g., themedia distribution site 102). Then, the electronic package (e.g.,electronic folder) is unpacked 604 into its various components. Theunpacking 604 can involve obtaining the various media files and metadatafrom the electronic package. The metadata is typically provided within atext file. The text file can include organizational information as wellas descriptive information for the media content. The organizationalinformation can specify what components are provided within theelectronic package. Hence, the unpacking 604 can include parsing of thetext file to acquire not only the descriptive information but also theorganizational information. In one embodiment, the text file is providedin a markup language (e.g., XML) and thus can be parsed using a markuplanguage parser. Following the unpacking 604, the components of theelectronic package can be stored 606 to a media store (e.g., media store103). The media reception process 600 is then complete and ends.Following the media reception process 600, the media distribution siteis able to render the media collection available for purchase online.For example, the media can be purchased online through a mediadistribution site (e.g., music site) that is accessible by clientmachines through the Internet.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot of a representative text file 700 in a markuplanguage format according to one embodiment of the invention. Inparticular, the markup language format can, for example, be XML. Thetext file 700 has a header region 702, a media collection metadataregion 704 with an artwork portion 706, a media item metadata region708, and a media content region 710. The header region 702 identifies anelectronic package, a tool used to produce the electronic package, andits provider. The media collection metadata region 704 contains playlistor album metadata. The artwork portion 706 indicates an image file andMD5 message digest that serves as a digital signature for the imagefile. The media item metadata region 708 provides metadata for each ofthe media items in the electronic package (e.g., track metadata). Themedia content region 710 indicates a media file (e.g., audio track file)and a MD5 message digest that serves as a digital signature for themedia file.

FIGS. 8A-12B, discussed below, provide details, features or aspects ofembodiments concerning submitting media to a media distribution site.

FIGS. 8A-8C are flow diagrams of a media collection informationacquisition process 800 according to one embodiment of the invention.The media collection information acquisition process 800 is typicallyperformed by a client machine, such as the client 105 illustrated inFIG. 1. More particularly, the media collection information acquisitionprocess 800 can be performed by the media submission program 110operating on the client 105 illustrated in FIG. 1.

The media collection information acquisition process 800 initiallydisplays 802 a media collection information window for a playlist. Aplaylist is a collection of media items (i.e., media collection), suchas an album, compilation or other media collection. FIG. 9A illustratesa representative media collection information window. The mediacollection information window is used to acquire media collectioninformation.

Once the media collection information window is displayed 802, alanguage for the playlist being created can be received 804. Here,typically the user will designate a particular language to be utilizedfor the playlist. Next, a decision 806 determines whether the selectedlanguage is a non-English language. When the decision 806 determinesthat the selected language is the English language, then a title for theplaylist is received 808. Further, one or more artist's names for theplaylist are received 810. In this case, the title and the one or moreartist names are received in English. On the other hand, when thedecision 806 determines that the selected language is a non-Englishlanguage, then a foreign language title, a phonetic title and an Englishtitle can be received 812 for the playlist. As an example, when theselected language is Japanese, a Japanese title, a phonetic title forthe Japanese title, and an English title can be received 812 for theplaylist. In addition, for each artist associated with the playlist, aforeign language name, a phonetic name and an English name can bereceived 814. As an example, when the selected language is Japanese, aJapanese name, a phonetic name for the Japanese name, and an Englishname can be received 812 for the one or more artists associated with theplaylist. For some languages, the phonetic title and phonetic name maynot be helpful and thus need not be utilized.

Following the block 810 or the block 814, one or more genres for theplaylist can be received 816. As an example, the playlist can beassociated with a primary genre as well as a secondary genre. Thesegenres can be later utilized to categorize the playlist based on genres.For example, the playlist can be properly and automatically categorizedat a media distribution site in view of the one or more genres that havebeen received.

A label name can also be received 818. For example, if the playlistpertains to music, the label name would designate the music label thatis making the playlist available. Copyright information can also bereceived 820. The copyright information can pertain to the playlistand/or the sound recording for the playlist. Further, a unique code forthe playlist can be received 822. As examples, the unique code can be aUniversal Product Code (UPC), a European Article Number (EAN) or aJapanese Article Number (JAN).

Next, territory rights for the playlist are received 824. Territoryrights are an indication of the territories, countries or regions wherethe playlist is permitted to be sold. Further, a price tier for theplaylist is received 826. The price tier is a designation of a pricetier for use when selling the playlist. In one embodiment, the pricetier is not a price itself, but a designator for a pricing tier that isassociated with a media distribution contract.

A release date for the playlist can also be received 828. The releasedate is the date on which the playlist was or will be released. A salestart date can also be received 830. The sale start date is a date onwhich the playlist will be made available for sale in all countries forwhich territory rights are available. However, in one embodiment, thesale start date can be set to different dates for different countries. Amedia distribution site can thus render the playlist unavailable untilthe appropriate sales start date whereby the playlist becomes available.

Next, a decision 830 determines whether the playlist is a pre-release.In other words, if the playlist was previously released, then thecurrent playlist is a re-release. In this case, an original release datecan be received 832. Following the block 832, or directly following thedecision 830 when the playlist is not a pre-release, a decision 834determines whether a parental advisory is to be set. In one embodiment,a parental advisory can default to no advisory (“none”) setting. Hence,the decision 834 can determine whether the parental advisory is to beset to something other than the default setting. When the parentaladvisory is to be set, a parental advisory indication can be received836. In one embodiment, the parental advisory indication being received836 can be a selection of a “none”, “explicit” or “clean” indication forthe playlist. The “explicit” indicator can indicate that the playlistcontains explicit content that may not be suitable for certain users.The “clean” designator can indicate that the playlist should beappropriate for all users. Hence, for a given playlist, the owner couldoffer the playlist in two separate formats, a clean format and anexplicit format. Following the block 836, or directly following thedecision 834 when a parental advisory is not to be set, a recordinglocation can be received 838. The recording location is an indication ofwhere the recording of the playlist was performed.

Next, a decision 840 determines whether liner notes are to be providedwith the playlist. When the decision 840 determines that liner notes areto be provided, the liner notes are received 842. In one embodiment, theliner notes being received 842 can be identified by specifying anelectronic file containing the liner notes. Following the block 842, ordirectly following the decision 840 when liner notes are not to beprovided, cover art can be associated 844 to the playlist. In oneembodiment, the cover art is an electronic image that is to beassociated with the playlist. For example, in the case in which theplaylist is an album of music, the cover art can be the artwork thatwould appear on the cover of the compact disc (CD) case for the album.As examples, the cover art can be associated with the playlist byspecifying an electronic file containing the cover art or by a drag anddrop operation with respect to the cover art. Following the block 844,the media collection information acquisition process 800 ends.

FIGS. 9A-9K are representative screen shots that can be produced by amedia submission program. These representative screen shots are used toassist a user to provide information that pertains to a particular mediacollection being prepared for submission to a media distribution site.The media submission program can, for example, be the media submissionprogram 110 illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9A is a screen shot of a representative media collectioninformation window 900 according to one embodiment of the invention.

The media collection information window 900 includes a playlist region901 that identifies a playlist (“Sample Album”) to be processed. Theplaylist can be initially created by selecting an add (“+”) button atthe bottom of the media collection information window 900 and thenproviding the name (“Sample Album”) for the playlist.

The media collection information window 900 allows a user to enter orselect information that is to be associated with a media collection. Themedia collection can be referred to as a playlist. In one embodiment,the media collection information window 900 can be displayed 802 at aclient device (e.g., client 105) by the media collection informationacquisition process 800.

The media collection information window 900 includes text entry boxes,menus, lists or other user interface controls to assist a user inproviding the information concerning the media collection. The mediacollection information that is acquired by way of the media collectioninformation window 900 can include: a language, a title, a titleversion, one or more artists, one or more genres, a label name,copyright information, a unique identifier, territory rights 904,wholesale price tier 906, release date, sales start date, originalrelease year, parental advisory, recording location, liner notes, and animage (e.g., cover art).

The language 902 pertains to the language of origin for the playlist. Asexamples, the language can be Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French,German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish orSwedish. For certain languages, the media collection information window900 can be altered. For example, FIG. 9B illustrates a media collectioninformation window 908 associated with a Japanese origin playlist. Themedia collection information window 908 is generally similar to themedia collection information window 900 illustrated in FIG. 9A. However,the difference being that the media collection information window 908includes an enhanced title and artist information acquisition region912. In particular, title information 914, Japanese title versioninformation 916, and Japanese artist information 918 can be acquired forthe playlist. For the Japanese title information 914, a Japanese title,a phonetic title and an English title can be obtained. Similarly, forthe Japanese title version information 916, a Japanese title version, aphonetic title version and an English title version can be acquired. Forthe Japanese artist information 918, a Japanese artist name, a phoneticartist name, and an English artist name can be acquired.

To provide information on additional artists, a button 919 can beselected. Once the button 919 is selected, an artist window 924 as shownin FIG. 9C can be displayed. Using the artist window 924, additionalartists can be identified. For example, FIG. 9D illustrates an artistentry window 926 that can be displayed to add a new artist to theplaylist. In this example, the playlist is a Japanese origin playlist sothe artist window enables the user to specify a Japanese name, aphonetic name and an English name. In addition, the artist entry window926 can also specify a link (e.g., URL) and a role. The role is the roleof the artist with respect to the playlist. FIG. 9E illustrates aselectable list 928 of different roles that the artist may haveprovided. For example, the artist can be a primary artist, performer,composer, remixer, or featured.

In selecting the one or more genres to be associated with the playlist,a pop-up list 930 as illustrated in FIG. 9F can be displayed to assistthe user in selecting a genre. The various genres in the list 930 can beselected by the user. These one or more genres that have been selectedcan be utilized for later classification of the playlist which is usefulfor sales and distribution of the playlist at a media distribution site.

With respect to the territory rights 904, a user can select or otherwiseidentify one or more territories for which the playlist is authorized tobe sold. The territories can be selected as a region or can be selectedas individual countries. FIG. 9G illustrates a pop-up list 932 that canbe utilized to assist a user in selecting the appropriate territory. Thepop-up list 932 includes various territorial choices for selection,including: (1) Worldwide, (2) Australia, (3) Canada, (4) E.U., (5)Japan, (6) U.S., and (7) US, EU and Canada. The territorial choices inthe pop-up list 932 are typical countries or regions for which territoryrights are often authorized for sale of a media collection to users fromterritories via a media distribution site.

Additionally, the pop-up list 932 also facilitates a user in providing acustom selection of territory rights. In this regard, the pop-up list932 includes a custom indicator 934 which, if selected, can cause aterritories window 938 as illustrated in FIG. 9H to be presented (e.g.,displayed). The territories window 938 allows a user to individuallyselect countries to be selected as authorized territories for sale ofthe media collection. The territories window 938 includes a view regionselector 940 that can assist the user in this regard. The view regionselector 940, when selected, can present a pop-up list 942 asillustrated in FIG. 9I. The pop-up list 942 allows a user to select aparticular region for which territory rights are to be selected. Once aparticular region is selected, the territory window 938 presents thecountries associated with that region. Once the appropriate countrieshave been selected, the custom territories grouping can be saved.

Returning to FIG. 9G, an edit list indicator 936 provided in the pop-uplist 932 can be utilized to add the custom territory grouping to thepop-up list 932 for future selection. In other words, if a customterritory grouping has been saved, the edit list indicator 936 can beselected to add the custom territory group to the pop-up list 932.

With respect to the wholesale price tier 906, a user can select orotherwise identify a price tier for the media collection. FIG. 9Jillustrates a pop-up list 944 that can be presented to assist the userin providing a price tier. The pop-up list 944 contains different pricetier descriptors that can be selected. In one embodiment, these pricetiers are pricing designators that are associated with distributioncontracts between the media content providers and a media distributionsite providing sales or distribution for the media collection. In oneembodiment, the price for the media collection (e.g., playlist) cannotexceed the sum of the prices for the tracks within the media collection.Hence, the suggested retail price for each track (as sold separately)will be automatically set to the single track price per the terms of theassociated distribution contract, dependent upon the country of thepurchaser.

In providing a parental advisory indication, a pop-up list 946 can bepresented as illustrated in FIG. 9K. The pop-up list 946 can assist auser in selecting one of a predetermined set of parental advisories. Thepop-up list 946 allows a user to select “none”, “explicit” or “clean”.

In addition, the media collection information window 900 can alsopresent an indication of whether or not the track is cleared for sale.Typically, the user will indicate whether or not the media collection iscleared for sale on a media distribution site. In one example, as shownin FIG. 9A, the cleared for sale indication is a check-box that the usercan check or uncheck.

The media items (e.g., media content) that are to be included within amedia collection (e.g., playlist) can be imported into the mediasubmission program 110 from a compact disk (CD) or files on a storagedevice.

FIG. 10 illustrates a representative import window 1000 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The import window 1000 can be presented bythe media submission program 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. The files can beimported from a compact disc (CD) or from a memory device (e.g., harddrive). The import window 1000 includes a playlist region 1002 thatidentifies a playlist (“Sample Album”) to be processed. The importwindow 1000 also includes an import region having a CD import area 1004and a file import area 1006. When a CD is inserted into the clientmachine 105, the songs on the CD can be listed in the CD import region1004. Any of the songs listed in the CD import region 1004 can beselected to be imported into the playlist. As a track is imported intothe playlist, the track is shown in a playlist region 1008. As shown inFIG. 10, the import window 1000 is currently importing track #2 from theCD import area 1004 to the playlist and is thus reflected in theplaylist region 1008. To add files from the client machine 105, thefiles are added to the file import region 1006. From there, the filescan be imported into the playlist and be reflected in the playlistregion 1008. Once all of the tracks to be included in the playlist havebeen imported and are reflected in the playlist region 1008, informationon each track can be provided by selecting the track button 1010.

FIGS. 11A-11C are flow diagrams of a media content informationacquisition process 1100 according to one embodiment of the invention.The media content information acquisition process 1100 is typicallyperformed by a client machine, such as the client 105 illustrated inFIG. 1. More particularly, the media content information acquisitionprocess 1100 can be performed by the media submission program 110operating on the client 105 illustrated in FIG. 1.

The media content information acquisition process 1100 initiallydisplays 1101 a media content information window. FIGS. 12A and 12B areexamples of media content information windows according to embodimentsof the invention. The media content information window is used toacquire media content information and is further discussed in detailbelow with regard to FIGS. 12A and 12B.

In the media content information window, at least a portion of the mediacontent information in the window can be initially provided by the mediasubmission program 110 from previously acquired media collectioninformation discussed above. Nevertheless, the media content informationacquisition process 1100 is discussed below assuming that the userdesires to provide the media content information regardless of whetherany of the information is already known from the media collectioninformation.

Once the media content information window is displayed 1100, a list ofthe tracks associated with the playlist is presented. These tracks wereacquired and associated with a playlist (e.g., media collection) duringan import process (e.g., import window 1000)). A user can then selectone of the tracks and then proceed to enter media content informationfor that track. Hence, a decision 1102 determines whether a track hasbeen selected from the media content information window. Once thedecision 1102 determines that a track has been selected, the mediacontent information window for the selected track can be updated 1104.In some cases, the media content information window for the selectedtrack will contain information that has been carried over frominformation concerning the associated playlist. In other cases, themedia content information window will have blank text entry areas ordefault selections or text.

Next, a decision 1106 determines whether the playlist is a non-Englishlanguage playlist. When the decision 1106 determines that the playlistis an English language playlist, then the title for the selected trackcan be received 1108. In addition, one or more artist names to beassociated with the selected track can be received 1110.

On the other hand, when the decision 1106 determines that the playlistis a non-English playlist, then the media content information window canbe altered such as illustrated in FIG. 12B to facilitate entry ofadditional information concerning title and artist. In this regard, forthe selected track, a foreign language title, a phonetic title, and anEnglish title can be received 1112. In addition, for each artist, aforeign language name, a phonetic name, and an English name can bereceived 1114. Following the blocks 1110 and 1114, a title version canbe received. Examples of title versions include “remix”, “hidden track”,“bonus track” or “live”. Alternatively, in the case of aforeign-language playlist, the title version can be received as aforeign language, phonetic and English spellings for the title version.

Next, one or more genres for the track can be received 1118. Forexample, a first genre selection can be a primary genre, and a secondgenre selection can be a secondary genre. In addition, a track numberand a disc number for the track can be received 1120. The track numberand the disc number can correspond to track placement with reference toa compact disc (CD) version of the playlist. Still further, a previewstart offset and beats per minute (BPM) for the track can be received1121.

In addition, a label name can be received 1122. The label name for theplaylist can be provided here by default or can be entered by the user.Copyright information can also be received 1124. For example thecopyright information can specify the year in which the sound recordingfor the selected track was copyrighted. A unique song code for the trackcan also be received 1126. As an example, the unique code can be theISRC for the track.

Next, a decision 1128 determines whether a per-track pricing isavailable. As an example, with a Japanese language playlist, a per-trackprice can be made available. Hence, if the playlist is a Japaneseplaylist, a per-track pricing would be determined to be available at amedia distribution site. In any case, regardless of the language of theplaylist, when the decision 1128 determines that a per-track pricing isavailable, a per-track price can be received 1130.

Following the block 1130, or following the decision 1128 when per-trackpricing is not available, a decision 1132 determines whether the trackis cleared for sale. In one embodiment, by default, the selected trackcan be available for sale on the sales start date for the playlist.However, when the decision 1132 determines, such as by user action orinaction, that the track is not cleared for sale, then the track isindicated 1134 as not being cleared for sale. If the track is notcleared for sale, a media distribution site will not make the trackavailable. In one embodiment, for a playlist to be available for sale ata media distribution site, all of the tracks of the playlist must becleared for sale.

Following the block 1134, or directly following the decision 1132 whenthe track is cleared for sale, a decision 1136 determines whether aparental advisory is to be set. In one embodiment, the parental advisoryis set by default to “none”. When the decision 1136 determines that aparental advisory is to be set, a parental advisory indicator isselected 1138. As an example, the parental advisory indicator can bedesignated as “none”, “explicit”, or “clean”.

Following the block 1138, or directly following the decision 1136 when aparental advisory is not to be set, a recording location can be received1140. The recording location is the location where the track wasrecorded. Next, a decision 1142 determines whether lyrics are to beprovided. When the decision 1142 determines that lyrics are to beprovided, lyrics for the track are received 1144. As an example, themedia content information window can include a region where the lyricscan be entered and/or a region where a particular file containing thelyrics can be specified.

Following the block 1144, as well as directly following the decision1142 when lyrics are not being provided, a decision 1146 determineswhether more tracks are to be similarly processed. When the decision1146 determines that more tracks are to be similarly processed toacquire media content information for such tracks, the media contentinformation acquisition process 1100 returns to repeat the decision 1102so that another track can be selected and processed. Alternatively, whenthe decision 1146 determines that no more tracks are to be processed,the media content information acquisition process 1100 ends.

It should be noted that the media collection information acquisitionprocess 800 and the media content information acquisition process 1100are typically used in submitting media content to a media distributionsite. In one embodiment, the media collection acquisition process 800pertains to providing information pertaining to a media collection(e.g., playlist), and the media content information acquisition process1100 pertains to providing information for individual media items withinthe media collection. Although the media collection informationacquisition process 800 and the media content information acquisitionprocess 1100 are often used together, it should be recognized that theseprocesses can also be used separately.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are representative screen shots that can be producedby a media submission program. These representative screen shots areused to assist a user to provide information that pertains to particularmedia items that are part of a media collection that is being preparedfor submission to a media distribution site. The media submissionprogram can, for example, be the media submission program 110illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12A is a screen shot of a media content information window 1200according to one embodiment of the invention. The media contentinformation window 1200 includes a playlist area 1202 where one or moreplaylists and their status can be specified. In this example, there isone playlist 1204 in the playlist area 1202 and such playlist is shownas being selected. The media content information window 1200 alsoincludes a track area 1206 (e.g., track window) that displays tracks(e.g., media tracks such as audio tracks) associated with the selectedplaylist. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12A, the selected playlist1204 has seven tracks listed in the track area 1206. Further, the mediacontent information window 1200 includes a track information area 1208.The track information area 1208 includes text entry boxes, menus, listsor other user interface controls to assist a user in providing theinformation concerning the various tracks listed in the track area 1206.As shown in FIG. 12A, the track 3 is shown highlighted in the track area1206. Upon such selection of track 3, the track information associatedwith track 3 can be provided in the track information area 1208.

In this embodiment, the track information that can be provided in thetrack information area 1208 includes a title, a title version, one ormore artist names, one or more genres, track number, disc number,preview start offset, bits per minute (BPM), label name, copyrightinformation, unique track code (e.g., ISRC), parental advisory,recording location, and lyrics. In addition, the track information area1208 also can present an indication of whether or not the track iscleared for sale. In this example, the cleared for sale indication is acheck-box that the user can check or uncheck.

As different tracks are selected from the track area 1206, theinformation for the selected track can be provided in the trackinformation area 1208. In some cases, the track information is carriedforward from prior data entry, such as information entered with respectto a media collection information window, such as the media collectioninformation window 900 illustrated in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 12B illustrates a screen shot of a modified media contentinformation window 1200′. The modified media content information windowis generally similar to the media content information window 1200illustrated in FIG. 12A. However, the media content information window1200′ is suitable for use with non-English playlists, such as a Japaneseplaylist. In this regard, the track information area 1208′ is at leastpartially different from the track information area 1208 of the mediacontent information window 1200. More specifically, the trackinformation area 1208′ includes user interface controls so that thetitle 1210, the title version 1212, and one or more artists 1214 can beprovided in Japanese, phonetically and in English. Furthermore, themedia content information window 1200′ can include a per-track pricecontrol 1216 that enables a user to select a per-track pricing for aselected track.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of a representative media package 1300 that hasbeen prepared for submission according to one embodiment of theinvention. The media package 1300 is named “111111111117.itmsp” andincludes ten (10) objects. More particularly, the media package 1300includes an image file (“cover.jpg”), a metadata file (“metadata.xml”),playlist (“Playlist.Info”), and audio tracks (Tracks 1-7).

Accordingly, one component of a media package is a metadata file thatcontains information describing the media to be included in the mediapackage. In one embodiment, the metadata file can be a markup languagefile, e.g., an XML file. The metadata file can include a header region(<package>), a media collection metadata region (<album>), and a mediaitem metadata region (<album_tracks>). A first example of such arepresentative metadata file in a markup language format is as follows:

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding = “UTF-8” ?> − <package><major_version>1</major_version> <minor_version>1</minor_version><language>en</language> <provider>iTunes Producer</provider><tool_name>iTunes Producer</tool_name> <tool_version>1.4</tool_version>− <album> <album_upc>111111111117</album_upc> <album_title>Album TitleHere</album_title> <album_title_version>Remixes</album_title_version><album_release_date>2006-01-01</album_release_date><album_original_release_year>2006</album_original_release_(—) year><album_label_name>Label Name Here</album_label_name> − <album_genres><genre>Pop</genre> <genre>Rock</genre> </album_genres><album_copyright_cline>2006 Rights Owner NameHere</album_copyright_cline> <album_copyright_pline>2006 Rights OwnerName Here</album_copyright_pline> − <album_artwork_files> − <file><file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>F5244DEAE24C692ADF66352A4952E E5B</checksum> </file></album_artwork_files> − <album_products> − <product><territory>World</territory><sales_start_date>2006-01-01</sales_start_date><wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> </product></album_products> − <album_artists> − <artist> <name>Artist NameHere</name> − <roles> <role>Primary</role> </roles> </artist></album_artists> − <album_tracks> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612345</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 1 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>1</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-1-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>B8FFF9A67E33B422B0F23DBDF 67DBFF4</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale> <track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_artists> − <artist> <name>□□□□ □□□□</name> </artist></track_artists> − <track_products> − <product><territory>World</territory> </product> </track_products> </track> −<track> <track_isrc>USABC0612346</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 2 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>2</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-2-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>316E50FAA25C8409EA77C7579 D973501</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale> <track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index > −<track_products> − <product> <territory>World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612347</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 3 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>3</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-3-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>2A64D861B15173DC5728FF9FE 251D826</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale> <track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612348</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 4 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>4</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-4-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtypr=“md5”>9051BB5F14FCD8600DA5484E9 E1A2129</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale><track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612349</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 5 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>5</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-5-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>2768415A1D02D178CF94AEF8A 7471C60</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale><track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory> World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612350</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 6 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>6</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-6-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>906F33F81F61A3BBCC4AF565C0 62DAEB</checksum></track)audio)file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale><track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0612351</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 7 TitleHere</track_title> <track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>7</track_track_number><track_track_count>7</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-7-Title-Here.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>9D324D994DC2CCFDB7112A66F 32D26AA</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>false</track_cleared_for_sale> <track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>World</territory> </product></track_products> </track> </album_tracks> </album> </package>

A second example of such a representative metadata file in a markuplanguage format is as follows

 <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8” ?> − <package><major_version>1</major_version > <minor_version>2</minor_version><language>en</language> <provider>iTunes Producer</provider><tool_name>iTunes Producer</tool_name><tool_version>1.5.1</tool_version> − <album><album_upc>000000000123</album_upc> <album_title>Album TitleHere</album_title> <album_title_version>Remixes</album_title_version><album_release_date>2003-02-15</album_release_date><album_original_release_year>2003</album_original_release_(—) year><album_label_name>ABC Label</album_label_name> − <album_genres><genre>Rock</genre> <genre>Alternative</genre> </album_genres><album_explicit_lyrics>explicit</album_explicit_lyrics><album_copyright_cline>2003 ABC Label</album_copyright_cline><album_copyright_pline>2003 ABC Label</album_copyright_pline> −<album_recording_location> <description>Test</description></album_recording_location> − <album_artwork_files> − <file><file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>F5244DEAE24C692ADF66352A4952E E5B</checksum> </file></album_artwork_files> <album_liner_notes>Album liner noteshere.</album_liner_notes> − <album_products> − <product><territory>CA</territory><sales_start_date>2003-02-15</sales_start_date><wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> </product> − <product><territory>US</territory><sales_start_date>2003-02-15</sales_start_date><wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> </product></album_products> − <album_artists> − <artist> <name>Artist NameHere</name> − <roles> <role>Primary</role> </roles> </artist> − <artist><name>Another Artist Here</name> − <roles> <role>Performer</role></roles> </artist> </album_artists> − <album_tracks> − <track><track_isrc>USABC0512345</track_isrc> <track_title>Track 1Title</track_title><track_explicit_lyrics>explicit</track_explicit_lyrics><track_lyrics>Track 1 lyrics here.</track_lyrics><track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>1</track_track_number><track_track_count>4</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-1-Title.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>11D77BB290BF0F227054BD0F6 2621AF7</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>true</track_cleared_for_sale><track_gapless_play>true</track_gapless_play><track_preview_start_index>60.0</track_preview_sta rt_index> −<track_artists> − <artist> <name>Artist Name Here</name> − <roles><role>Primary</role> </roles> </artist> </track_artists> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>CA</territory> </product> −<product> <territory>US</territory> </product> </track_products></track> − <track> <track_isrc>USABC0512346</track_isrc><track_title>Track 2 Title</track_title><track_explicit_lyrics>explicit</track_explicit_lyrics><track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>2</track_track_number><track_track_count>4</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-2-Title.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>9277A449FABA9F3413105782A 6D6B1D7</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>true</track_cleared_for_sale><track_gapless_play>false</track_gapless_play><track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>CA</territory> </product> −<product> < territory>US</territory> </product> </track_products></track> − <track> <track_isrc>USABC0512347</track_isrc><track_title>Track 3 Title</track_title><track_explicit_lyrics>clean</track_explicit_lyrics><track_beats_per_minute>55</track_beats_per_minu te><track_volume_number>1</track_volume_number><track_volume_count>1</track_volume_count><track_track_number>3</track_track_number><track_track_count>4</track_track_count> − <track_audio_file><file_name>Track-3-Title.m4a</file_name> <checksumtype=“md5”>84C410E3D151AEOE388F6A9C2 7D2B6FA</checksum></track_audio_file><track_cleared_for_sale>true</track_cleared_for_sale><track_gapless_play>false</track_gapless_play><track_preview_start_index>0.0</track_preview_start _index> −<track_products> − <product> <territory>CA</territory> </product> −<product> <territory>US</territory> </product> </track_products></track> + <track> </album_tracks> </album> </package>

In the above second example, among other things, the representativemetadata file includes tags (i.e., “track_gapless_play”) for conveyinginformation regarding gapless playback. Also, as to sales start dates,such dates can be different for different territories (e.g.,countries/regions). In the above second example, the tags (i.e.,“sales_start_date”) is used to convey information on sales start datesin particular territories.

FIG. 14 is another representative screen shot that can be produced by amedia submission program. These representative screen shot can be usedto assist a user to provide information that pertains to particularmedia items that are part of a media collection that is being preparedfor submission to a media distribution site. The media submissionprogram can, for example, be the media submission program 110illustrated in FIG. 1. More specifically, FIG. 14 is a screen shot of amedia content information window 1400 according to one embodiment of theinvention. The media content information window 1400 is generallysimilar to the media content information window 1200 illustrated in FIG.12A, but pertains to a different submission.

The media content information window 1400 includes a playlist area 1402where one or more playlists and their status can be specified. In thisexample, there are two playlists in the playlist area 1402 and the firstof the playlists 1404 is shown as being selected. The media contentinformation window 1400 also includes a track area 1406 (e.g., trackwindow) that displays tracks (e.g., media tracks such as audio tracks)associated with the selected playlist. In the example illustrated inFIG. 14, the selected playlist 1404 has four tracks listed in the trackarea 1606. Further, the media content information window 1400 includes atrack information area 1408. The track information area 1408 includestext entry boxes, menus, lists or other user interface controls toassist a user in providing the information concerning the various trackslisted in the track area 1406. As shown in FIG. 14, the track 1 is shownhighlighted in the track area 1406. Upon such selection of track 1, thetrack information associated with track 1 can be provided in the trackinformation area 1408.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, the track information that can beprovided in the track information area 1408 includes a title, a titleversion, one or more artist names, one or more genres, track number,disc number, preview start offset, bits per minute (BPM), label name,copyright information, unique track code (e.g., ISRC), parentaladvisory, recording location, and lyrics. In addition, the trackinformation area 1408 also can present an indication of whether or notthe track is cleared for sale. In this example, the cleared for saleindication is a check-box provided near a label (e.g., “Cleared forSale”) that the user can check or uncheck. Further, the trackinformation area 1408 can also present an indication of whether or notthe track can be playback in a gapless manner. In this example, thegapless playback indication is a check-box provided near a label (e.g.,“Part of a Gapless Album”) that the user and check or uncheck. In oneembodiment, the gapless playback indication can be used to inform themedia submission system 110 whether or not the associated audio track isgapless or can be play in a gapless manner. Hence, when a usereventually acquires a media item (e.g., from the media distribution site102), the electronic device that is to playback the audio track canunderstand that the audio track is gapless or can be played back in agapless manner. Gapless playback pertains to playback of media items,such as audio tracks, such that as one track concludes another trackstarts without any significant gap in meaningful audio. Additionaldetails on gapless playback are contained in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/519,389, filed Sep. 11, 2006, and entitled “PLAYBACK OFCOMPRESSED MEDIA FILES WITHOUT QUANTIZATION GAPS,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

Another aspect of the invention pertains to importing information (e.g.,metadata) for playlists and/or tracks within the playlists. Here, datacan be provided by a tab-delimited file. Instead of (or in addition to)a user interacting with one or both of a media window collection windowand a media content information window, a user can specify a properlyformatted tab-delimited file containing the data.

As before, a playlist is created. Some information concerning theplaylist can be provided. At a minimum, at least one identifying fieldis specified, namely, a unique identifier (e.g., UPC or EAN) for theplaylist. Then, the media content for media items can be imported forthe playlist (e.g., FIG. 10). The media content for the media itemsshould be imported in the final order so that the data import isproperly processed. Next, data is imported into the playlist from atab-delimited file that is specified. In one implementation, any fieldsthat cannot be imported will be displayed as “Skipped Fields.” Thisincludes field names that are misspelled or contain fields that are notacceptable for import (see below for a list of data that can beimported).

In one embodiment, the tab-delimited file should only include thosefield names for which you want to import data. For any field that you donot have data, the media submission program will import the blank dataand overwrite any previously entered data. Furthermore, in order tosuccessfully import data, the tab-delimited file should include at leastdata for a unique identifier (e.g., one of UPC, EAN, and JAN), AlbumTitle, Album Artist, Track Title, Track Number, and Disc Number.

In one implementation, the following fields can be imported.

-   -   “UPC” or “EAN” or “JAN”    -   Language    -   Album Title    -   Album Phonetic Title    -   Album English Title    -   Album Title Version    -   Album Phonetic Title Version    -   Album English Title Version    -   Album Artist    -   Album Phonetic Artist    -   Album English Artist    -   Album Genre    -   Album Genre 2    -   Album Label Name    -   Album Copyright Year    -   Album Copyright    -   Album P Copyright Year    -   Album P Copyright    -   Release Date    -   Sale Start Date    -   Original Release Year    -   Album Parental Advisory    -   Album Recording Location    -   Track Title    -   Track Phonetic Title    -   Track English Title    -   Track Title Version    -   Track Phonetic Title Version    -   Track English Title Version    -   Track Artist    -   Track Phonetic Artist    -   Track English Artist    -   Track Genre    -   Track Genre 2    -   Track Number    -   Total Tracks    -   Disc Number    -   Total Discs    -   Preview Start    -   BPM    -   Track Label Name    -   Track P Copyright Year    -   Track P Copyright    -   ISRC    -   Cleared For Sale    -   Part of a gapless Album    -   Track Parental Advisory    -   Track Recording Location

Note that for the Genres and Parental Advisory field, which appear aspop-up menus in the media collection information window and the mediacontent information window, the data you import must exactly match themenu choices. If you are using Excel spreadsheet program from MicrosoftCorporation, save your data as a “Unicode Text UTF-16” file. Note thatExcel can undesirably automatically remove all leading zeros from yourUPC, EAN, and JAN numbers and also save the numbers in scientificnotation.

After a media collection (e.g., playlist) has been submitted, it can bechanged. Using the media submission program, the previously submittedplaylist can be edited. Once edited, the playlist can again besubmitted.

The various aspects, features, embodiments or implementations of theinvention described above can be used alone or in various combinations.

Although the media assets (or media items) of emphasis in several of theabove embodiments were audio items (e.g., songs, audio files or audiotracks), the media assets are not limited to audio items. For example,the media assets can alternatively pertain to videos (e.g., movies,television shows), podcasts, audiobooks, and/or images (e.g., photos).

The invention is preferably implemented by software, but can also beimplemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Theinvention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computerreadable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage devicethat can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system.Examples of the computer readable media include read-only memory,random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical datastorage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributedover network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable codeis stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The advantages of the invention are numerous. Different embodiments orimplementations may, but need not, yield one or more of the followingadvantages. One advantage of the invention is that submission of mediato online media hosting sites can be achieved with uniformity. Theuniformity eases the burden on representatives of the online mediahosting sites to process the media submissions. Another advantage of theinvention is that media submissions can be processed in an automatedmanner.

The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparentfrom the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appendedclaims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, the invention should not be limited to theexact construction and operation as illustrated and described. Hence,all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to as fallingwithin the scope of the invention.

1. A method for submitting a media product to a media distribution site,said method comprising: obtaining information for the media product, theinformation including at least a lyrics indicator to indicate thatlyrics are provided for at least one of the plurality of media items anda region where the lyrics may be distributed; obtaining media contentfor a plurality of media items to be included in the media product, themedia content being obtained from one or more media sources; convertingthe media content for the plurality of media items into compressed mediafiles; obtaining information for each of the plurality of media items;forming an electronic package for the media product using a mediasubmission application on a client computing device, the electronicpackage including at least the compressed media files, the informationassociated with the media product, and the information associated withthe plurality of media items, and the media submission application usinga standard format and arrangement to form the electronic package; andelectronically transmitting the electronic package to the mediadistribution site, wherein the electronic package is formed in astandard format and arrangement and transmitted to the mediadistribution site in the standard format and arrangement to allow themedia distribution site to process the electronic package in anautomated manner.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: editingthe electronic package using the media submission application on theclient computing device; forming a second electronic package using themedia submission application; and electronically transmitting the secondelectronic package to the media distribution site to replace thepreviously transmitted electronic package.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the information for the media product includes at least: aparental advisory indicator to indicate whether media product containsexplicit content.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information foreach of the plurality of media items includes at least a recordinglocation to indicate where the media item was recorded.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the information associated with the media productincludes at least distribution rights data pertaining to one or morecountries, territories, or regions where the media product is authorizedto be distributed by the media distribution site.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the information associated with the media product includes atleast a sales start date for the media product for when the mediaproduct is authorized to be distributed by the media distribution site.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with eachof the plurality of media items includes at least per-item price for oneor more of the media items.
 8. A system for submitting a media productto a media distribution site, comprising: a submission applicationprogram for use by a client device, the submission application programbeing configured to: obtain information for the media product, the mediaproduct having a plurality of media items and at least a lyricsindicator to indicate that lyrics are provided for at least one of theplurality of media items and a region where the lyrics may bedistributed; obtain media content for a plurality of media items to beincluded in the media product; convert the media content for theplurality of media items into compressed media files; obtain informationfor each of the plurality of media items; form an electronic package forthe media product in a uniform format and arrangement, the electronicpackage including at least the compressed media files, the informationassociated with the media product, and the information associated witheach of the plurality of media items; and electronically transmit theelectronic package in the uniform format and arrangement to the mediadistribution site from the client device; and a media distribution siteconfigured to: electronically receive the electronic package; andelectronically process the electronic package having the uniform formatand arrangement in an automated manner at the media distribution site,such that the media items are made available for distribution to usersvia the media distribution site.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein theinformation for the media product includes at least a parental advisoryindicator to indicate whether media product contains explicit content.10. The system of claim 8, wherein the information for each of theplurality of media items includes at least a recording location toindicate where the media item was recorded.
 11. The system of claim 8,wherein the information for the media product includes at least a title,artist, and a release year.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein theinformation for the media product includes at least a pricing componentthat specifies a pricing arrangement for use by the media distributionsite upon distribution of the media product.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the pricing arrangement includes a plurality of predeterminedpricing tiers, and wherein the price associated with the predeterminedpricing tier is determined by a distribution agreement between the userand the media distribution site.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein themedia content is obtained from one or more media sources.
 15. The systemof claim 8, wherein the information for the media product includesgapless information pertaining to one or more of the plurality of mediaitems.
 16. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at leastcomputer program code tangibly stored thereon for submitting a mediaproduct to a media distribution site, said computer readable mediumincluding at least: computer program code for obtaining information forthe media product, the information including at least a lyrics indicatorto indicate that lyrics are provided for at least one of the pluralityof media items and a region where the lyrics may be distributed;computer program code for obtaining media content for a plurality ofmedia items to be included in the media product, the media content beingobtained from one or more media sources; computer program code forconverting the media content for the plurality of media items intocompressed media files; computer program code for obtaining informationfor each of the plurality of media items; computer program code forforming an electronic package of the media product using a mediasubmission application on a client computing device, the electronicpackage including at least the compressed media files, the informationassociated with the media product, and the information associated withthe plurality of media items, and the media submission application usinga standard format and arrangement to form the electronic package; andcomputer program code for electronically transmitting the electronicpackage to the media distribution site, wherein the electronic packageis formed in a standard format and arrangement and transmitted to themedia distribution site in the standard format and arrangement to allowthe media distribution site to process the electronic package in anautomated manner.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein the information for the media product is metadata forthe media product, and wherein the information for each of the pluralityof media items is metadata for each of the media items.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein themetadata for the media product includes at least a sales start date forthe media product, and wherein the metadata for each of the media itemsincludes at least a sales start date for each of the media items. 19.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinformation for the media product includes at least distribution startdata that permits different sales start dates to be specified fordifferent locations where the media product is available fordistribution.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim16, wherein the information for the media product includes at least oneof: a language indication that specifies a language for use with themedia product; a pricing component that specifies a pricing arrangementfor use by the media distribution site when distributing the mediaproduct; or a parental advisory indicator to indicate whether mediaproduct contains explicit content, wherein the information for the mediaitems includes at least per-item prices for each of the media items. 21.A method for submitting a media product to a media distribution site,said method comprising: obtaining information for the media product, theinformation including at least: a language indication that specifies alanguage for use with the media product; a pricing component thatspecifies a pricing arrangement for use by the media distribution sitewhen distributing the media product; a lyrics indicator to indicate thatlyrics are provided for at least one of the plurality of media items anda region where the lyrics may be distributed; and a parental advisoryindicator to indicate whether media product contains explicit content,obtaining media content for a plurality of media items to be included inthe media product, the media content being obtained from one or moremedia sources; obtaining information for each of the plurality of mediaitems; forming an electronic package for the media product using a mediasubmission application on a client computing device, the mediasubmission application using a uniform format and arrangement to formthe electronic package; and electronically transmitting the electronicpackage to the media distribution site, wherein the electronic packageis formed and transmitted in the uniform format and arrangement to allowthe media distribution site to process the electronic package in anautomated manner.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the informationfor each of the plurality of media items includes at least a recordinglocation to indicate where the media item was recorded.
 23. The methodof claim 21, wherein the forming further comprises: converting the mediacontent for the plurality of media items into compressed media files,wherein the electronic package includes at least the compressed mediafiles, the information associated with the media product, and theinformation associated with the plurality of media items.